n 1905, Albert Einstein determined that the laws of physics are the same for all non-

accelerating observers, and that the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of
the motion of all observers. This was the theory of special relativity. It introduced a
new framework for all of physics and proposed new concepts of space and time.
Einstein then spent 10 years trying to include acceleration in the theory and
published his theory of general relativity in 1915. In it, he determined that massive
objects cause a distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity.

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The tug of gravity

Two objects exert a force of attraction on one another known as "gravity." Sir Isaac
Newton quantified the gravity between two objects when he formulated his three
laws of motion. The force tugging between two bodies depends on how massive
each one is and how far apart the two lie. Even as the center of the Earth is pulling
you toward it (keeping you firmly lodged on the ground), your center of mass is
pulling back at the Earth. But the more massive body barely feels the tug from you,
while with your much smaller mass you find yourself firmly rooted thanks to that
same force. Yet Newton's laws assume that gravity is an innate force of an object
that can act over a distance.

Albert Einstein, in his theory of special relativity, determined that the laws of physics
are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and he showed that the speed of
light within a vacuum is the same no matter the speed at which an observer travels.
As a result, he found that space and time were interwoven into a single continuum
known as space-time. Events that occur at the same time for one observer could
occur at different times for another.
As he worked out the equations for his general theory of relativity, Einstein realized
that massive objects caused a distortion in space-time. Imagine setting a large body
in the center of a trampoline. The body would press down into the fabric, causing it to
dimple. A marble rolled around the edge would spiral inward toward the body, pulled
in much the same way that the gravity of a planet pulls at rocks in space.
Strange Star Pair Confirms Einstein | Video
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Experimental evidence
Although instruments can neither see nor measure space-time, several of the
phenomena predicted by its warping have been confirmed.

Einstein's Cross is an example of gravitational lensing.

(Image: © NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) )
Gravitational lensing: Light around a massive object, such as a black hole, is bent,
causing it to act as a lensfor the things that lie behind it. Astronomers routinely use this
method to study stars and galaxies behind massive objects.
Einstein's Cross, a quasar in the Pegasus constellation, is an excellent example of
gravitational lensing. The quasar is about 8 billion light-years from Earth, and sits
behind a galaxy that is 400 million light-years away. Four images of the quasar
appear around the galaxy because the intense gravity of the galaxy bends the light
coming from the quasar.